The skeletal remains of a dismembered body are discovered beneath the floorboards of a house in Glasgow. The drama takes an unexpected twist when a nine-month-old toddler is kidnapped from a multi-storey car park, followed by a ransom demand of £50,000.

Glamorous opera singer, Eleanor Samson, returns to Glasgow, her home town, to sing with Scottish Opera. She hopes to bring about a reconciliation with her estranged husband, John, but she is furious to discover that there is a new woman in John's life - blonde, attractive Kirsty King. When Kirsty's body is found in the burnt out shell of John's boat, Eleanor Samson is the prime suspect. Jim Taggart, tough Glasgow detective and his smooth assistant, Peter Livingstone, fall out over the case. Livingstone believes that Eleanor is guilty; Taggart cannot believe that a woman like Eleanor could be a murderess. Is Taggart allowing his judgement to be clouded by Eleanor's fame and beauty?

A series of young blonde women are found strangled and left near water. Maryhill CID launch an investigation to find the person responsible for the murders. DCI Jim Taggart is asked to head up the investigation, alongside newly graduated sergeant Peter Livingstone. Despite their differences, they must uncover the killer's identity before he strikes again.